Emergency Assembly December 2023

To recall, this assembly was held on the third anniversary of the original visit of the Lessner family to Drayton in 2020 and the declaration to reduce our individual and collective carbon emissions to zero by 2030, adopting and nurturing a nature site and to lobby and campaign on systemic carbon. Reporting has taken place every six months with some Whatsapp discussions in between. A recording of an assembly is on the web site. This assembly included two generations in Delaware/Washington, the Montreal contingent, and London, Cambridge, St Albans and Abingdon in the UK. Our move from an energy efficient house to one at least one step lower on the EPC scale and a fraction of the PV electricity has been offset by significantly smaller living space being heated and a footprint down to three planet earths. Attempts to get the builder to implement our, Jesse's and his recommendations are ongoing. Sam and Jesse have carried out most practical steps to their respective houses, as have the Cameron's to their flat (if not the house) in Delaware. The Lessners have also downsized to a more efficient house while Jodi and Gabe live economically in a rented flat.

Cazimir has added to the family footprint including the car for ferrying but hopefully incentivised the need to save the planet for his future?

I had posted the latest report from Scientists for Global Responsibility https://www.sgr.org.uk/ that had failed to find room for air travel in its zero carbon transition but this has not deflected the Lessners/Sawickis from arranging a trip to the UK this summer. So the conversation turned to politics.

Hugh had previously cited an op ed that explained why electing the greenest candidate in national elections was the most effective way of reducing emissions (ie the third limb to the 2020 declaration). 2024 is a critical year for elections and Martin did say that he was engaged in getting the local democratic candidate elected. The fact that Delaware has been democrat for living memory probably renders these efforts unnecessary and should not offset his air travel? However, for all those where an election is in the balance now is the time to lobbying and campaigning on climate change and biodiversity loss.

I would add that most of my time is working at the Climate Emergency Centre and Stonehill Community Gardens and facing the challenge from younger generations on whether those with power and influence are doing enough to find out from them what futures they want and how to bring them to fruition.